Thetownend.com

Black pudding and the Neville family.

Can we get owt in t'northern town?

3-0 win.

No idea why I think that, just feel it in my water.

Being away gives me more confidence.

1-1.

Ajose for us, Vaughan for them.

It's odd.  No matter how awful the football is, how dire & ineffective the style of play, how cold it is outside, how leaden the sky, how depressing the news of thuggish fans assaulting family members of the coaching staff, how 'unfashionable' the opposition and how long the journey...I still find myself waking up on a Saturday thinking 'That would be a new ground.  Could I make it to Bury for 3pm?'

Off to Mexico for a week so will miss our next 3 games and given how bad we are I'm tempted not to check results.

Hopefully by next Sunday we'll have 9 points on the board. As for today, Vaughn is on fire and Ajose is bound to score against his old team so I'll predict 1-1.

Bury 1-2 Swindon.

The players rise up and begin a 6 game winning streak all but confirming safety.

 :hmmm:

2-0 bury another doom and gloom weekend.

3 0 Bury. We can't compete against the power house that is Bury. This is the weekend that all that awful football bears fruit and we attain 23rd place, our final resting place at the end of the season
The only thing I regret is not being able to express my thoughts on Williams. Thanks ells.

I have stayed away from the doom and gloom recently but feel like we might scrape some points today. 2-0 Town.

Difficult to see anything positive from this game.

Lets aim for a draw and work up from there, small steps, don't forget 3 draws=1 win.

Put a whole £1 on 3-0 Town at 33/1.

Fuck yeah!

Get beat and I can see a melt-down and you don't have to be Mystic Meg to predict that!!  If Ince plays we may get something, if not our powder puff midfield will be bullied into submission . . . again.

All the shit surrounding the Pox game has overshadowed the fact that we created a few very acceptable chances - something completely missing from previous recent games.

Berry are totally shit at the back so I expect more chances for us today - take them, ffs!

Hope to see Smith and Ince in midfield replacing Kasim and Colkett - but not surprised to retain Kasim.

Berry 1 Swindon 4 - 23/10 for a Town win which I have taken in a small accy with Derby, Coventry(!) and Plymouth

Pre match preparation in The Art Picture House.
Hoping not to witness a serving of tripe later.

Still, good for us to finally be involved in a top of the table clash.
Shame it's the yellow & red card table.

Winning the next 7 six pointers will give us 42 points and a place in the play offs.
Job done.

Hopefully Ince plays today.

Your maths is a bit off, Bob. Too much sauce already?

despite what I said in past, so did I. looking at Coventry instead

I'm going to Coventry! Strangely looking forward to it.

I've put a massive 50p on Ajose to score anytime and 3-3 and Vaughn to score anytime and 3-3. Both at 50s.

No, not yet.

Just playing on the over emphasis given to games described as "6 pointers".
Still only 3 points for a win or for three draws of course.

Will remember to take the Mogadons prior to next away day.

At last a beautiful train journey across the snow topped Pennines comes into more metropolitan Stockport.  The last time I was here we were tonked 3-0 in some promotion season or other...Stockport set a club record for consecutive clean sheets, and celebrated more than accordingly.

I'd spent an hour or so in the drizzle of Manchester's vast Southern Cemetery, searching for the grave of a mate taken tragically at 23.  That, and the fate of Stockport since (who are they playing today?), reminds me today to live and enjoy each day, so, digging deep for that hope in my heart, it's a 4-3 win with an Ajose hat trick.

3-1

Ajose 'consolation'.

2-1 Bury

1-1 (ajose), the rot stops today

awaits inevitable ajose dropped 5/7 issue...

2-1 defeat

Ince, Hylton and Conroy start, 3 changes.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4Y7TCBXAAAYFuw.png)

Jones and Feruz dropped, no norris at all

Beaks makes the bench then, poor bench overall tho.
We would have to be in a bad place for any of those to come on

I think if we still struggle today with this team then we should all start planning for next season in Division 4. This is Williams last roll of the dice for me, if he makes these changes and still can't win, or get a good performance, then he just confirms, not that we need it, that the current shiteness is down to the management, or rather the total lack of it.

I think we will win. COYR


Sent from my iPhone

Feel for Lloyd jones though I like him at the back.


Sent from my iPhone

I don't see the sense in dropping Jones. Gladwin or Colkett should be out.

Assuming no injuries of course.

I agree, he has made quite big changes to the team shape today with 2 small strikers and Ince sat in front of the back 4 as most fans wanted last week.

If we don't get a positive response from the players then I think there is much more going wrong off the pitch than we know.

Alternatively we could be genuinely THAT shit.

I don't feel for any of them. They're professional footballers who, as a group, are shite. Change is vital, the only question is the change needed just the team, or the management too?

Lloyd Jones has hardly been a rock in defence.

Good luck to Conroy.

Norris failed a fitness test today then.

yeah, guessed it must be. Not an ideal front 2 but maybe the unexpected will work..

Having not been any nearer to Bury before than Heaton Park in 1991, for the sort of festival that never gets repeated, the Art Picture House is reassuring in the way that all pubs where it's £2.25 a pint are.  It's also the first time I've seen scaffolding inside a pub, but they do have signs up apologising for any inconvenience.

Talking of which, now, I'm going out in the cold, once again, to watch the Gladwin and Colkett magic show, living someone else's dream...

Less than ideal to replace him with a debuant though.
Thought the back line did OK last weekend.

Unless Jones is injured, I'd have preferred Colkett or Gladwin were the ones axed

Well said although masquerading as professional footballers would be more apt. Don't have any pity for any of the useless shitbags. I'm not surprised Norris failed a fitness test but that any of our players could pass one.

A stunning 0-2 win @ 16/1 c'mon you reds.

It's hard to feel positive about any Town game at the moment.

That said I was probably more pessimistic about our chances at Bolton than Bury so who knows.

If (as Luke says) we can't cope with being in front or behind let's hope for a 95th minute winner from Ajose

Going to tune in...My recent text says the team is:

Swindon Town: Vigouroux, Thompson, Rossi Branco, Conroy, Brophy, Dabo, Ince, Colkett, Gladwin, Ajose, Norris.

Norris was a late withdrawl Flash

Oldham wining :eek: now drawing :)

Oldham drawing

Not for long.....

Northampton 1 Chesterfield 0

Gotcha

Sherwood at Bury then. Hooray.

Sounds like a thriller.

More like Bad.
But I guess its subjective and  isn't Black or White

Branco gives away penalty. Nobody knows why.

I've just got up and tuned in half asleep. Sounds as if both teams were working nights too!

Sounds dull, but I cant work out if one team is having the better of it?

For christ sake.

Oh dear.

What?

1-0. FFS

FFS

Here we go then

Sounds like shirt pulling or push from corner.

Feel sorry for us in this case. Every game could have a penalty if that's what its for.

Well, thats that then! :-(

Game over.

I wonder how many penalties Branco has given away in a Swindon shirt?

Well done branco the cause of alot of fuck ups at the back this season.

Currently 22nd.

We have Obika on the bench and Ajose. Not over yet.

My bet is.

Get him on.....

That's not what your tweet indicates :D

Going down.

Maybe you should do the halftime team talk?

Hmmmmm

Same old...

Cmon....

Uphill battle now then and on present form can't see us turning it around.  Now in the relegation places. It just gets better .......

Sinking, not sunk yet!

Branco is fcuking awful

Let bury have the three points cant see williams inspiring are team second half. :suicide:

Does anyone still think this ain't the worst bunch ever?'

When is power going to get rid of williams this is just a fucking joke now.

Sounded wanky. Very wanky. Wankers.

Absolutely huge half coming up. SOS. Save Our Season.

But we've got a top 10 budget - Power said so.

Rightio, Lee, we believe ya.

Will be interesting to see what happens if we finish the day in the bottom 4. My fear is absolutely nothing!

Fortunately that isn't my job. I can see us losing by a couple, the stats don't lie when it comes to us coming from behind. Either way, they haven't the bollocks.

Won't be renewing my season ticket or going at home next year until Power has gone.

Just not prepared to pay £400 for a ST or £25 a game to watch academy and non-league players who ain't good enough.

Top 10 budget yeah right! Really think Power believes his own lies

By employing Sherwood, Power has put himself into a difficult position. How can you sack Williams if Sherwood is in charge, and if he isn't WTF is the point of him.

They both go, or neither. We know which should happen. We know which will happen.

What a mess.

I reckon Power looks at the league table upside down

We were 2-0 down there last year and didn't lose.

You have to wonder on what basis Williams & Embleton are still here. They are more out of their depth than a dwarf in the deep end of a swimming pool

Does Sherwoods wages come into the top 10 budget?

He doesnt get paid

yes

Perhaps Power actually said we had a top 10 budgie

I think power is Kim Jong un. Everything's fine.

My goodness, firstly Bury are outstandingly awful, and marginally the better side so far. The game is as grim as the day, and all the more gripping for it, if you follow me.

After our initial spell of keepball, we've predictably retreated into hard done by southern softy mode. In particular, Dabo, Gladwin and Collette have been utterly dreadful. Hylton has worked hard and Ince is rusty but there.

Somehow, someone has to muster some attacking intent, and then, who knows?

probably just was well. When reviewing his KPI's he'll end up paying us.

Shit or bust time get obika and go all out attack - we can do it, possibly.

Attendance of 2713
214 from town  :clap:

Must be fucking mad

Who?

Gladwin and Colkett have offered nothing in the games I've seen. To be honest Gladwin was crap when he came back on his last loan spell. Not the player he was in 2013/14.

Kudos to the 214. Amazed it's that many

And he was only that player for half a season.

OObikkakakakaka coming on. For............

Hylton

Swindon being deliberate and slow in possession - nothing new there then.

Why can the commentators and supporters see that they need to be quicker with the ball, but the management can't?

05/06.

Let's hope he and ajose can get the partnership back firing quickly

Because Williams coaches by numbers.
Possession %
% passes complete
etc. etc.

Nothing actually useful like goals for, goals against.

He's going to be rustier than a rusty thing left in the rain to rust.

If we lose this then surely Williams has to go, get someone with experience in on a big bonus to keep us up.

The players we have should not be a relegation team with a half competent manager.

He won't go, Power thinks the sun shines out of his arse. I know most dont like Cooper but he got sacked for less

Vigs, Thompson, Obika, Ajose and an on form/motivated Kassim. That's who I'd say were clear cut league 1 quality. Is that enough not to get relegated. Possibly.

I guess you see it differently. Fair enough.

how about Paul hart :suicide:

Oldum winning

Correct.

Cooper had to go at that time and Williams needs to go now.

and shrewsbury

Fuck. Gillingham look like a relegation rival target all of a sudden (well not that suddenly)

He did and alot of us thought that was left too long.  I'd be interested to know if there's anyone with a worse record than Williams still coaching/managing the same club?

Third in the league!

Double fuck. Currently 2 points to safety, 4 from the next team (Gills)

This whole division is a joke.

Aren't Bury renowned for losing games from winning positions

Shrewsbury sign Ladapo on loan from Palace in January, he's scored 3 in 5 (may be 4 in 6). We sign Feruz.

Just our luck.

Oldham 3--1 up v Cov. A timely reminder things could be worse. Just.

Dear Santa,
Since it is snowing outside I wondered whether I could ask for a Christmas present early? I have been a good boy (well, mostly) and would be very grateful if you could arrange for a moment of magic from one of the Swindon players (or even an og by a Bury player) so that we could draw level. If you are feeling extra generous, could I have a second moment too please so that we can see what its like to get 3 points.
Many thanks in advance,
NMH (aged 93 years listening to this crap!)

Power said on bbc phone we have never been in the relegation zone yet,well mr power we fucking are now. :smugfu:

Not an exclusive club is it?

Old 3 Cov 2 ... COME ON COV.

We just don't sound remotely capable of scoring.

Why has only one change been made? Utter bullshit.

Ed's getting really pissed off like the rest of us.

Yeah, but not to us

Looks like its going to be 4 defeats in a row scoring just 1 goal in the process...unacceptible.

Until today I did think we had a slight chance of staying up, I don't feel that way any more.

2 shots on target.
2 against Bury.
Bury.
The Bury who have conceded 60 (sixty) goals

Only chance is with a new manager, and that isn't gonna happen.

When JJ's lost hope, you know it's bad   >:(

And this is why we are going down. We need to win games, and for that you actually need to score goals & we just don't look like doing so

Actually I think it lies deeper than that. In our case it is a root and branch clear out from top down. Sadly that'll be from the 2nd division.

Oh the irony, Delefounso has scored again

Oxford score a last minute winner against Franchise

Thats it were going down,well done mr power . :suicide:

'First time in 92 minutes we have a had a clear cut chance'
'Power on his feet'
'Colkett fluffs it'

(Groan!)

One win since the start of December. That's one win in eleven games.

Game over.

FT 1-0 All over.

What worries me most is that I've lost all confidence it will be fixed.

Williams should get manager of the season hes doing fabulous job.

Relegation calls. Fuck you Power and fuck you Williams

Me too, I hate feeling like this but I feel that even a new manager won't be able to save us now.

No more excuses, we need a proper manager that can motivate a team.

The current situation is going to take us down

Dodgy pen or no, the amount we created was piss poor against a very porous team.

They can all fuck off.

Whats the bet that Williams claims we only lost due to an unlucky penalty decision. We are a joke of a club at the moment and need a new manager asap. How you can break the Jones Branco combo is ridiculous. Gladwin offers nothing to us and I can only assume Colkett has to play each week.

Zero goals against a team that ships on average 2 a game says it all. 6 points out of 6 is required from next 2 games but that will only happen with a significant change!

Fuck this club.

We all do.

I've got a bit of a sick feeling in my stomach. I think Reg may have it right on this season.

Really can't see a way out. We can't score goals. We can't defend. We can't dominate games. We can't nick results. We can't keep a lead. We can't come from behind. I fear for us, I really do.

That's cos he's not a bad player. Remember watching on TV earlier in the year when he was making good runs but we couldn't get the ball to him.

I'm going to enjoy sitting next to Tim and Lee next week in executive. Might pass on some opinions

Tell them to put Williams out of his fucking misery

We have been crying out for a goalscorer all season, but I actually think the problem is we just don't create many chances. Our play is too slow and by the time we do move the ball even the most average of teams can easily cover up in defence

I think a new manager, if it's the right appointment, will save us. There's plenty of time.

I don't think that's going to happen though.

Williams moaning about the penalty.

Fuck off.

Dubious penalty maybe, but we had plenty of time to turn things around against a team who'd won 1 in 20. Yet again we failed miserably.

Nothing else to say really other than League 2 football next season is beckoning folks.   I can honestly see us not winning another game this season.

Lose at home next Saturday and the atmosphere could be reminiscant of the Notts County game in 2011.

It's fucking bullshit and Williams is talking bullshit again, knew he'd blame the penalty. If things weren't working, why did you only bring 1 sub on?

'The ref decided to be a bury fan for the day'

:Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

It's alright folks. We'll regroup and go again next week. Good set of lads and a tight group. We'll put it right in the training ground.

This is what I've been saying all season. Our play is too fucking slow !!

What the fuck is Shaun Hodgetts questioning all about? Ask all the most banal questions possible, rather than the ones we actually want to hear?

If Power sacks Williams now with 4 years contract to pay up, will be not much difference if he waits till we actually get relegated before sacking him.

That, of course, depends if he has any intention of sacking him - ever.

That's reassuring - I was getting a bit worried before he said that.....

He just said Colkett has the ability to emulate Lampard and Fabregas

It appears that the fans commentators can all see it except the management team

I agree with this! If you watch the strikers in the first 15/20 minutes they're making the runs they're pointing where they want the ball to go but we are so slow that the passes are never made and the runs after a while stop coming from the strikers because they know they will never get the pass that they want to run onto. And they stop running into the box because we never attack with pace and then cross the ball in first time, it takes us ten minutes to even get close.

Yes, but he's a total bellend so try not to dwell on it.

Also we are as physically threatening as a wet paper bag...

Your wrong,very wrong.

Williams:
- Penalty was for contact inside the box which is astonishing! Not grappling.
- Hate to talk about this nonsense. We haven't been good enough this year, we dont need referee to make things worse
- Bury decided to be a Bury fan for the day
- Had chance. Colkett and Brophy
- Dont take chances dont deserve to win
- Not good enough to not put ball in back of the net when you have clear chances
- Really tried to attack in a controlled manner. Did that well enough, but inside the box we're not doing well enough
- Know Colkett is ambitious and a good player. But he needs to score goals when he's in the area.
- Made some spectacular passes. Talked about one cross field to Brophy. Compared him to Lampard, but Lampard finished chances
- Lloyd Jones unlucky to be dropped so that we could bring another loan player in. Feel strongly that he is part of the squad that it very important to me
- Got good understanding with Branco and Vigs
- Loan made permanent after window? Something club would like to pursue, but there are other things that have to happen first
- Doesn't know whether Ince will be available on Tuesday due to court date.
- Conroy. Very aggressive, comfortable on the ball, Should be happy with debut, but wont be taking free kicks again
- Norris felt something when he kicked a ball pre-game
- Ajose & Hylton no number 90 presence. Obika wasnt ready for 90 mins
- Hope Obika will be in contention to play 90 mins in future.
- BOO on bench. Came through training and Dev game fine.
- Awful. Horrendous in bottom 3. We need to get out quick
- Back to Williams with tools? Yes. Took training. Picked side and tacticals
- If we can limit opposition to one chance per game we will get out of this. But we need to create more threat. Practice building up and taking chances.
- Talked lots about training and working hard blah-de-blah-de-blah
- Starkey has to be patient. Promising future
- Whatshisface played for Waterford a couple of times and enjoying it
- Summing up. Disappointed as felt that it was a soft way to conceed a goal with a penalty that wasn't a penalty.

He also said we need to limit the other team to one shot a game. Surely we should be trying to stop them having any at all!

Fair enough. I've not really seen that much of us this season but I'd say we at least have some quality, we sold the only good players we had that season.

Parkin:
- That was limp
- Another defeat to a poor side

I can't bare watching this lot and the way they're told to play...Pathetic.

He's frightened of his own shadow and will never ask a slightly hard quesiton!

We did limit them to one shot today, and we still fucking lost.

If we continue to play this way in L2 with, obviously, worse players than we have now, we're totally fucked as a league club.

And don't think it can't happen.

Two shots on target (BBC) against a team that has won just one in twenty, and conceded more goals than anyone else in the division.

That's how bad we are.

We all know it can, we've seen it locally with Pox and Rovers and in the bigger world

Any little bit of sympathy I had for him for the position he's been put in by Power has gone. If he's got any self respect, he needs to resign, as Power dosn't seem to want to budge him. His record of 8 wins in 43 is appalling and getting worse by the week. What club in their right mind would hire him as a coach with those stats?

Swindon?

Power is the worst chairman / owner in the clubs history

And I include Hillier and Diamandis in that

Pathetic again then.

Go and get Cotterill. Might be an odious cunt but would put some fire up em at least.

Keep things the same and we're done.

Behave! Diamandis had us minutes away from liquidation and wasn't even a Chairman or owner!

I agree, Power is a pretty shit chairman at the moment but no way is he worse than Jed, Hillier or the whole Diamandis crew.

We have 15 games to save ourselves with a new manager.

We do, we won't, there won't be one ;)

All the attempts to turn things around so far this season have been like putting a plaster on a malignant tumour.

Major surgery is needed but the patient is in denial and it might be too late anyway.

The fact I'm not that depressed about this result goes to show how much of my hope/passion whatever you want to call it has been eroded.

After all, dodgy penalties happen all the time even to good teams, and it was only 1 goal we lost by.
What a grim assessment that I'm almost happy we weren't fucking stuffed by Bury.

what new manager ?? Not going to happen,  we're fucked.

TBF he didn't. Williams said he (Colkett) wanted to get into the Chelsea 1st team so as a midfielder then those are the players he has to aspire to emulate. He didn't say he had the ability to do so. Williams talked enough shite during the course of that interview without mishearing that bit. Like trying to blame the ref for the fact that we are fucking abject.

rephrase to ANY game.

That was tough to listen to.

Huge game...240 odd away fans is frankly a stunning turn out. Respect.

'Good movement there but town again took too long to break forward'.

Heard it all match and have seen it all season. We all have except those who can change it.

Ajose has no impact without balls played into him, ahead of him.

Fuck all the tactics, just change the way we play....two pass...break. If it fails it fails but we want nine touchs of the ball in midfield.

92 minutes to create the first proper chance is somewhat embarrassing.

You could argue that the ref fucked it for us if we dominated but we never looked like scoring...

I think that's it for us. It's been depressing watching this decline.

Sad day.

What, retire?

Sent from my SM-G935F

He's starting to fuck me off too.

Hodgetts doesnt want to upset the applecart does he? Probably hoping for a new pair of jeans from the club at christmas or something

he's probably remembering Brunel FM, doesn't want to be frozen out.

remember when the BBC did journalism and broke stories good and bad...

Just got back, and not really sure where to start...

If we're looking for positives, Vigoroux hardly had anything to do, Ince put some tackles in, and we defended ok - they only scored because of a penalty seen quite clearly by the referee, but by nobody else on the pitch or in the stands. That's pretty much where the positives end.

We can make excuses like the bad penalty decision and a dodgy pitch, but the fact is we simply weren't good enough. To put it into perspective, there wasn't one player in that Bury side who impressed me, and yet we thoroughly deserved to lose.

Keeping the ball is all well and good when you can do it. But 3-4 sideways passes were always followed by a misplaced ball, an underhit ball, an overhit ball, or a ball designed to meet a runt hat was never made.

Playing with pacey forwards is all well and good, when you let them run into space or receive the ball at their feet, but we played bad balls into them all day, and rarely attacked quickly enough to get in behind.

I've never understood people's attitude towards Gladwin. He has a good touch, a good shot on him, and he can drive play forwards. But today there were far too many misplaced places, and he lost the ball in the challenge more times than I care to remember. It wouldn't be harsh to say he offered nothing.

Dabo was a shadow of the player who impressed at Bolton. Brophy had the beating of his man time and time again but never picked out a man. Colkett looked like a schoolkid who'd won a competition, summed up perfectly by his scuffed shot from 15 yards out at the death, when a simple placed shot into the corner would have leveled the score.

Hylton huffed and puffed but was left stranded. Ajose made runs and tried to inject life but had nothing to feed off. Then Obika came on and showed us what we'd missed all game, and in many games previously. He held the ball up, moved it on, and generally looked to create a threat. Sadly it never amounted to much.

At the final whistle, few fans bothered to clap the players off. Some walked off, others hurled abuse. Branco gave a bit back from near the penalty spot, but most sulked off to the changing room. Fair play to Ince and Dabo who came over and shook people's hands. A few words were exchanged but I have no idea of their nature.

So that's 3 big defeats in a row. Not heavy defeats but potentially season defining. The only way from here is for Power to admit that recruitment is failing, management is failing, and the tactics are failing. The R word is starting to look inevitable, and the club re-posting videos of the goals at Bolton on Facebook every #throwbackthursday isn't going to lighten the mood.

Surely he's been told don't approach certain subjects or you'll be "advered"

I reckon so

Thanks Reeves, that bit Branco gave back both started and finished with an f - so at least we know he's increasingly confident in his English.

Whilst there weren't any positives, at least there weren't really any new negatives. Surprise, surprise, Conroy was tidy without being obviously strong or physical; Brophy had one of those second halfs where he beats players easily, then slips over or can't deliver.  We moved the ball charmingly from side to side.  Our two attempts on target were woefully weak (I thought Obika had connected well with his and that it was going in - he didn't, it didn't and the bloke in front of me turned to give me a withering look to put down my premature excitement).  But we know all this.

R feels inevitable- an odd feeling with so much still to play for, train for, go again for. But the hope that took 1,000 to MK on a foggy night, the optimism that greeted our new players at home to Peterborough, the desperation that put nearly another 2,000 of us on the gate last week, feels in shorter and shakier supply. I quite liked the quirky Gigg Lane, and I even touched the match ball, albeit after the final whistle - a rare treasure.  The good folk of Bury were welcoming - and why wouldn't they...it's not every fortnight you get a dopey bunch of lacklustre losers like us turn up. 

Sam M had tweeted of 'terminal decline' - which is understandable if a little dramatic.  Unfortunately it's a phrase probably more suited to the person hit by a train causing all manner of disruption at Manchester Piccadilly - and I'll end the day's report as I started it, thinking about life's perspective and possibly where football fits within it.

I think it's a fine description myself. I can see the abyss of non league football is closer than ever in my days of supporting the club (since about 89).

I'm sure reg will remember worse.

thing is IF that were to happen, I'm not confident we'll recover. ever. How's that for dramatic.

there is a easy to go yet mind, a lot can happen.

It's not the shit season(s), or the shit football, or the shit players - it's the fact that I no longer care as much that fucks me off.

I never, ever thought I could feel so accepting of the inevitable. The whole 'atmosphere' of being a Town fan has deserted me.

How has it come to this?

Pottered about in the Garage all afternoon with radio on.

Did my jobs and went back in the house.

Mrs Flash keeps asking me if I'm ok.

It's obviously playing on my mind.

I'm getting pissed.

Fuck you Power.

Fuck you Sherwood.

Fuck you Williams.

Just got back in from the pub having listened to the Swindon commentary on Wiltshire Sound and then watched England scrape through against Wales. Both times well pi**ed off although the eventual England result helped in a very minor way.

Got to say that I texted Wiltshire Sound about the fifteen minute love-in by Sean Hodgetts which once again told us nothing and offered the usual platitudes by Williams and excuses as to why they did not perform.
 
I "managed" very local football teams for many years in the Wiltshire and Swindon Sunday Leagues and the same applies no matter what level of  team, be it local or professional. The requirement is basically always the same, You need a spine of good keeper, good central defender, good middle of the park and goal scorer come provider of a centre forward. The Town currently are missing two to three of that four and that is down to the top management not applying those basic principles when it has been apparent for a long time now.

We are in the deep sh*t, and the players currently playing are either not good enough/disinterested/inexperienced to battle their way to a position that will guarantee Divvy 1 status next season.

I would be quite happy to see us avoid relegation by a point as goal difference/goals scored will never come into it currently, but games are slipping away rapidly and I can now see us relegated and struggling next season, and as to what that may hold for us only heaven knows.

The fact that Power seems unwilling to change something that is so blindly obvious, is not only infuriating but utterly baffling. It's so frustrating to a rather aggressive level, and I do not think it an over exaggeration to say non-league eventually beckons for this lot.

This is the worst set up... players, management etc that I've seen in over 50 years.  But it is too early to worry about next season...next to none of the current players will be here. Div 4 is slightly easier, insofar as only 2 go down.

So as a football man appears unwilling to sort out the football side of things we we can assume then that league position is actually irrelevant to Power. So he must be in it for other things. All communication coming from the club appears to be uncorroborated puerile shite to keep the cash cows (us) happy for as long as he can wing it.  

Time to take action, Sherwood has slung his hook.  Nobody needs to be sacked.  Bring back Sturrock on an advisory basis.

If a major change doesn't happen this week, its over.  Please email the club, the Adver, BBC Radio Wilts, Hockaday, Parkin, and anyone else that might listen,  If anyone knows Luggy, contact him.  

The players need to be more scared of Luggy than the opposition, and it may help stop the refs taking the piss.

:Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

These are desperate times.  Allardyce is too busy and too expensive at the moment, so who do you suggest might be brought in to give the fans some hope, and to stop the refs taking the piss.  

Probably going to get a 3-point deduction for "handbags in the tunnel, so Power better do something rather quickly.

BTW, Poyet did all the work, but Sturrock achieved promotion.


If not Sturrock to advise, with Sherwood AWOL, any suggestions not to include Danny Williams?  

I do know of a former West Ham player and Swindon manager that might fit the bill, but he might want freehold of the training ground for signing on.

This is more depressing than Paul Hart's tenure.

It's too late....the chance to do something about relegation was during the window. We did nothing, beyond a limp sticking plaster which quickly came off during the first encounter with pressure. There just isn't any fight within this squad of players.....

I was hoping for someone in the dugout who the players fear more than the opposition. Sir Alex has retired, but there must be someone out there who can persuade someone in the midfield to play a ball into Ajose's feet.

We're still on for the lowest ever leading goalscorer and only season without someone netting at least a brace. To give some sort of context to our shitness, Bury kept a clean sheet at Gigg Lane on the opening day of the season...we're the first side not to score there since.

Coventry haven't won since November I think. just saying...

Now realised that Sherwood was there today, Nero is fiddling.........

https://youtu.be/TKYQ5ibxslI

It's okay guys, I am sure we will be treated to more footage of the Bolton match on social media this week for the thousandth time.

🔥

Well, that was a long day and bloody cold.
Big opportunity missed as Bury were there for the taking, but yet another example of being turned over by a limited team that offers not much more than a basic game plan and some organization, which is normally enough for 3 points against us.

Trying to find some positives is a pointless exercise, probably a bit like flicking flies from shit.
Here goes anyway.

The effort was there, which is why it was a case of a quick clap and exit stage right sharpish.
Noticed that even Football Phil was dishing out abuse at the end, and then there are people like the guy with 800 odd consecutive games and now just travelling out of habit.

Decent displays from Ince & Conroy, but do they now sink to the level of the rest of them over the next few games.
Better from Gladwin but is still capable of much better.
Brophy was the only one who managed to get in behind on occasion, but still couldn't find an unmarked Ajose for what would have been a simple tap in.
Good to see Obika back, hopefully the front two can stay in place for the remainder of the season.

Other than that, some half chances and what should have been the equalizer at the end.
And back to the drawing board with the free kicks.

Biggest disappointment was Colkett, offered nothing over and above what Kasim or even Rodgers would have done.
Might as well play Rodgers, tell him to run around as best he can and just concentrate on getting any free kicks on target.

Dabo also appears to be going backwards, almost to the point where I'm thinking we are missing square pass Barry in the team.

Can't see a change of management happening, so it's very difficult* to see a sub 30% win rate changing to something like the 45% that would be needed for the rest of the season.
*so much so that it would be miraculous if it happened.

Being a delusional fool and still with some misguided hope, the remaining away days are all booked up.
Just have to grin and bear it and enjoy the beer along the way.

4/6 to go down now on Bet365, first time I've seen us odds on. Depressing.

I know where you are coming from.

Unfortunately for me I still get pissed off with the football.  I would accept (within reason) going down if we put in 100% and lost trying our best, but we don't.

That's what hurts me the most.

The problem as I see it is we have Power with the right intentions (stabilising the off the field antics) which doesn't seem to work on the pitch.

Power needs to stop the interference and let the manager manage the team, which leads me on to the next problem. As an outsider it is clear to me Williams is not capable of managing the team (too pally with the team, lack of team fitness and void of tactics to change a game).

What is the answer?

IMO, Power to recruit a manager who he will let manage a team. Recruit a manager who can get the team fit, build their confidence and fight for our club.

There must be some cheap managers out there that can fit the bill (?)

Rant over and thanks.




Sent from my SM-G935F

Agree with this, I think the only way foward would be a player manager, someone who would say this is what we're going to do and do it with them, not sure who though has to be down to earth not a billy big bollocks someone who will work hard.

Michael Carrick?

The same Carrick who is regularly playing for Man Utd?

Yep but not given a new contract I believe. Get this season out of the way. Get him in for next season.

Can't see that happening, let alone working to save us from relegation this season.

Power needs to bite the bullet, end the DoF-Head Coach business, get a manager who knows how to win games against some very average (shit) teams, ie someone who does homework on the opposition and who can influence things during the 90 mins if things aren't going to plan.

The most depressing thing about this season is that the division is shockingly poor. Any measure of nous, fitness, organisation and determination should mean mid-table obscurity. We're so devoid of this yesterday's defeat, and the manner of it, was not a surprise.

Losing all our derby games (deservedly), losing to lower league opposition in two cup competitions, failing to get a point at the team with the worst home record (Franchise), losing to (and not even scoring against) a team with one win in twenty and with the worst defence in the division Bury), not being able to beat a team below us in the league when leading 1-0 at home and with them down to ten men (Shrews) - all add up to show that Williams isn't and won't be a match-day manager.

We're the team to play currently, and all the signs point to relegation under the current set up. However, I still think there is a glimmer of a chance we could avoid the drop if a change is made. I only say this because we're not getting stuffed every week and we do have players who can do an ok job in this division, and because we still have to play a lot of equally poor sides.  

Why is it we always go back to the fucking player manager idea? It worked a couple of times about 20-30 years ago, is this the same reason people voted Tory? An interminable desire to regress to the good old days?

Just think it would work now with what we got. We all have our own opinions of what will work as does power he's only doing what he thinks will work

An excellent summary leftside, however I can't help but think, this was so obvious early season that if a change was to be made it would have happened. The old cliche about football being a results business doesn't seem to apply to us....for us it's a try and develop players and make the owner some money business.  

Power clearly believes that Luke can polish turds, and seems to accept the problem has been in the recruitment....so as results don't matter Luke is in the clear. It's why we picked up kids like Conroy and Starkey in the window rather than soomeone who might win us a few games.

Amen, Reg. Spot on.

Not sure it was obvious 'early season', but certainly before Christmas.

As well as the results side of things, the recruitment policy is in severe risk of failing. Our saleable assets currently are minimal, and if failure on the pitch continues (this and next season), then the likelihood of the young turds being polished to sell at a profit diminishes too.

Power should surely realise that good players (preferably in a winning team) will always be in demand, even if they are approaching 30 years old. They are just as good a source of potential income from transfer fees than inexperienced youth (although there might be less chance to get a cut of a future transfer fee). The one thing that makes me think that this does not fit into Power's model is that the inexperienced youth are much cheaper to have on the books.

the writing was on the wall prior to the start of the season, we were playing pre season friendlies
even tho we didn't have a squad assembled, football is all about team work, something we have not managed to do,

We lost 3 home games on the spin in September, OK a bit unlucky v Bury, but it was painfully obvious that the lessons of last season's historic CG shitness had not been learned, and this time no goalscorer to bail us out. Losing easily to sides no better than bog standard Div 3/4 fodder, set the alarm bells ringing

Fair enough, Reg. For me, it wasn't until around the time of the Walsall home and Scunny away defeats that I thought we were beginning to look too uncompetitive too often, and therefore in trouble of getting into a relegation scrap.

I actually agree with this.. what's happened to me?  :D

personally thought we'd be OK and the window would save us.

the craptacular approach to that had alarm bells ringing. gladwin, ajose and ince I can see sense, but two of those were final day.

the whimpering surrender of the last 4 games, and the wider 10 &  15 game runs.. there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

still clinging on to a fit ince and obika making a difference... but it's getting a bit late...

Watching Burnley at the moment,what a bit of organisation,drive and belief can do.They must have a real manager.

Burnley at Turf Moor are an example of being very good at the basics of football that any team at any level should aspire to. We can't even do that, hence a heaviest ever defeat to a non league side at the CG.

Preseason was so bad, I put money on us being relegated before a ball was kicked in August... it just seemed inevitable

Player managers don't work these days that why clubs don't go down that route any more there is to much pressure on a manager to handle playing as well.

Ideally we need to get rid of the 3 amigos (Sherwood, Williams, Embelton) bring in a new manager now so he has time to try and get points on the board, someone like Cotterill would do a job knows how to scrape wins and draws, but unfortunately Power would not employ someone of that character probably go for someone like Chris Casper or bring in someone from Waterford

It's too late. Whoever potentially comes in would still have a squad of players not fit for Div 3 purpose, you could give it to SAF and we'd still go down.  The salvation had to happen in the window, and although some got a bit excited on here, it was pretty obvious that nothing substantial was done. 

Don't agree, if someone came in and was able to get organised and get a bit of extra effort out of what we have then we may stand a chance, we are not cast adrift YET at the moment it is looking like we are heading one way.

Although that would rely on on Power being prepared to clear out Williams and Embelton and I'm not convinced he will do it as it will cost money

We've recruited a certain type of player to play a certain way.....in a relegation battle you need a different type. Our response to a must win game at Bury, is to draft in a kid who's played a dozen games for Aldershot in the Conference, now tbf to the lad he may turn out decent, but having to drop another kid who's been a fairly consistent, so that we can presumably fit in an unsuitable must play loan....is football suicide. It just is...as I said at the end of the window, more poor recruitment, an unbalanced squad, only a truly desperate man would go anywhere near it.  Also WTF does Seamus Brady do in all this dung? Anyone the first clue?

Good question. I'd completely forgotten about him until the Adver article today which showed him sat next to Sherwood and had exactly the same thought. If Sherwood was Director of Football, what does a Sporting Director do at a football club? Organise the croquet team?

I thought he was responsible for scouting?

Nah, can't believe that.
(https://i.redd.it/nzhsjb8jqnfy.gif)

Wasn't Brady used to relay the messages from Sherwood via ear piece to Embelton who would relay the instructions to Williams to relay them to the players

He may have done that, but that can't have been his sole function surely? That's more suited to a job title of "Runner" than "Sporting Director"

No wonder we are so shite in that case. It must be a bit like chinese whispers in primary school. Sherwood starts by saying "stop playing these shite tactics" and by the time it gets to Williams the message is "continue to tit around with it"

'The cheesemakers shall inherit the earth'